Draggin&#39; rescue device

ABSTRACT

The Draggin&#39; Rescue Device (DRD) is designed to assist in the removal of injured Law Enforcement, Military or Tactical personnel from a hostile environment. The DRD greatly improves upon traditional methods. The DRD reduces the number of people required to carry out a rescue while speeding up the process at the same time.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present invention claims the benefits of the filing date of U.S. Provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/667,651, filed Apr. 4, 2005.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to safety and rescue of downed or injured law enforcement, military or tactical operations personnel from a hostile environment.

2. Discussion of Related Art

Today, law enforcement and military personnel face more challenges than ever. The threat to personnel is at an all-time high. Rescuers working to remove downed or injured personnel also face many challenges. Traditional methods of removing downed or injured personnel require on average, three to four people. These methods are also time consuming and strenuous. They also put the rescuers themselves at risk by exposing them to the threat for longer periods of time. The inventors of the Draggin' Rescue Device have a background in Tactical EMS and Technical Rescue and realized the need for more efficient ways to remove downed or injured personnel. The end result was the Draggin' Rescue Device, which not only reduces the number of people required, but also the amount of time and effort.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The Draggin' Rescue Device (DRD) is designed to assist in the removal of injured Law Enforcement, Military or Tactical personnel from a hostile environment. The DRD greatly improves upon traditional methods. The DRD reduces the number of people required to carry out a rescue while speeding up the process at the same time.

The DRD is constructed of 1⅞″ Seat Belt style webbing rated at 4,000 lbs. The DRD has a shoulder strap for each shoulder, a back strap, waist strap, and loop that extends out past the tactical vest of the wearer. All seams are sewn together with box-style stitching for added strength. The waist strap is connected with an ITW Nexus buckle. The DRD is designed to be worn under the tactical vest of Law Enforcement, Military or Tactical personnel. The DRD does not require modifications to tactical personnel equipment. The wearer puts the DRD on like a coat. Snap the quick-release buckle in the front, and adjust waist straps. Waist straps have Velcro to secure excess waist strap webbing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The Draggin' Rescue Device was the direct result of training with inferior methods. Traditional methods of removing downed or injured personnel from a hostile environment proved to be more strenuous, time consuming, and most importantly dangerous. In short, prior methods took more people, more time, and left the rescuer exposed to the threat of their own bodily harm for longer periods of time.

The DRD is lightweight, pliable, comfortable on the wearer, and requires no modifications to current gear worn by law enforcement or military personnel.

Using the DRD is very easy. It is donned like a coat on the outside of personal body armor. The tactical vest is then put on over top of the DRD. Testing has shown that the standard-size, adjustable DRD will fit most individuals. The wearer buckles the front and adjusts the waist strap. After extending the handle over the back of the tactical vest, the DRD is ready for use.

In the event that the wearer becomes injured or incapacitated, the DRD will assist in their removal to a safe place. Rescuers simply grab the handle on the wearers back, slide their hand through and pull. The DRD will slide up the wearer and grab them in the area around the wearers nipple line, just below the armpits. The DRD provides leverage to the rescuer, making it possible for as few as one person to move the victim. The rescuer can pull with one hand and provide protection for both he and the victim with the other, since he will not need to holster his weapon. Traditionally, this would be a three or four person operation, with two people carrying and one or two people providing cover. It is important to mention that the DRD is designed for horizontal evacuations only. The DRD is not designed, nor was there intent for the DRD to be used for vertical rescues. the wearers nipple line, just below the armpits. The DRD provides leverage to the rescuer, making it possible for as few as one person to move the victim. The rescuer can pull with one hand and provide protection for both he and the victim with the other, since he will not need to holster his weapon. Traditionally, this would be a three or four person operation, with two people carrying and one or two people providing cover.

It is important to mention that the DRD is designed for horizontal evacuations only. The DRD is not designed, nor was there intent for the DRD to be used for vertical rescues.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of the Draggin' Rescue Device (DRD);

FIG. 2 is a close-up view of the Box-stitch that is used during the sewing of the DRD;

FIG. 3 is a rear view perspective of the DRD;

FIG. 4 is a close-up of the technique and stitching of the shoulder strap used to make the DRD;

FIG. 5 is a close-up and detailed view of the handle and related components while in the ready position;

FIG. 6 is a close-up and detailed view of the handle while in the deployed position;

FIG. 7 is a view of the buckle in the locked position;

FIG. 8 is a view of the buckle in the unlocked position.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The Draggin' Rescue Device (DRD) will be better understood when consideration is given to the following descriptions in correlation to the drawings provided:

FIG. 1 Front View #1 is the left shoulder strap and FIG. 1 Front View #7 is the right shoulder strap. The straps are actually made from one continuous piece of webbing that is attached at the bottom to the waist strap (FIG. 1 Front View #3) and at the top to the back strap (FIG. 1 Front View #2). The DRD is donned like a coat, which means there are two straps in the front (FIG. 1 Front View #1&7) and one single strap that located in the middle of the wearers back (FIG. 1 Front View #2). The back strap (FIG. 1 Front View #2) of the DRD is connected at the bottom to the waist strap (FIG. 1 Front View #3) and at the top to the shoulder straps (FIG. 1 Front View #1, 7). On the waist strap you will find the buckle used to secure the DRD to the wearer (FIG. 1 Front View #5). Once the DRD is on the wearer and the waist straps are adjusted, the extra webbing is secured using the Velcro found on each waist strap (FIG. 1 Front View #4&6).

FIG. 2 Box-Stitch Close-up shows the box-stitch technique used to stitch all junctions of the shoulder, back and waist straps.

FIG. 4 Shoulder Strap Close-up illustrates where the shoulder strap comes up near the wearer's neck. Each shoulder strap is folded in thirds, towards the middle of the webbing and then sewn down. This creates a narrowing around the neck area of the wearer preventing rubbing on the wearer's neck and providing added comfort. This narrowing also help the wearer distinguish the front of the DRD from the back (FIG. 3 Rear View).

FIG. 3 Rear View illustrates the handle of the DRD located at the top of the back strap (FIG. 3 Rear View #2). The handle is what the rescuer grabs when attempting to move the wearer using the DRD. In FIG. 3 Rear View #1, shows the box-stitch at the top of the handle. Located underneath this spot is the Velcro that secures the handle in the ready position.

Close-up views of the handle are found in FIG. 5 Handle Close-up (Ready Position) and FIG. 6 Handle Close-up (Deployed Position). Notice in FIG. 5 Handle Close-up (Ready Position) #2 the stitching of the handle. Like the shoulder strap, it is folded in thirds and double stitched. The handle is sewn this way to help it maintain its shape while on the wearer, thus making it easier for the rescuer to grab. The two squares in FIG. 6 Handle Close-up (Deployed Position) #1 is a close-up of the Velcro that is used to hold the handle down and secured while in the ready position.

FIG. 7 Buckle Locked is a close-up of the buckle in the locked position. This is the position the buckle will be in when the DRD is being worn and ready for use.

FIG. 8 Buckle Unlocked is a view of the buckle in the unlocked position. 

1. Draggin' Rescue Device (DRD), comprising; A harness made of nylon style webbing that is worn underneath the tactical vest of law enforcement, military and tactical personnel with no modifications of current gear or equipment.
 2. Draggin' Rescue Device (DRD) as described in claim 1, reduces the effort of horizontally removing downed law enforcement, military and tactical personnel from a hostile environment.
 3. Draggin' Rescue Device (DRD) as described in claim 1, reduces the amount of time and people needed to remove law enforcement, military and tactical personnel from a hostile environment.
 4. The Draggin' Rescue Device as described in claim 1, is unique in that: The waist strap is adjustable to fit wearers of various sizes; The top portion of each shoulder strap is narrowed and sewn back onto itself to promote comfort of the wearer; The handle or loop extends over the back of the tactical vest.
 5. Draggin' Rescue Device (DRD) as described in claim 2, is designed to slide on the wearers' torso, leaving the body armor and tactical vest in place: This motion extends the length of the handle; The extension of the handle provides more leverage to reduce the effort of horizontally removing downed personnel; By leaving the body armor and tactical vest in place, it does not expose the midsection of downed personnel.
 6. Draggin' Rescue Device (DRD) as described in claim 4, has a handle or loop that extends over the back of the tactical vest: The handle is folded in thirds and sewn; this narrowing of the webbing helps it maintain its shape for easy grabbing; It also allows for an ideal attachment point for carabineers and other rescue hardware; It allows a conscious victim to secure a rescue line to himself for extraction when the risk is too great to send in help; This handle also has Velcro to help secure it while in the ready position.
 7. Draggin' Rescue Device (DRD) as described in claim 3, allows downed or injured personnel to be retrieved or removed from hostile environment by as few as one rescuer. 